Nothing to hide: Qatar WCup bid organizers

(Agencies) Updated: 2014-06-15 15:12

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Some people say they were stunned when FIFA president Sepp Blatter pulled Qatar's name out of an envelope in 2010.

They wondered why it had gone to a country with a population of 2 million people, with little soccer heritage and where summer temperatures average around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

FIFA's own inspection team, which examined all the bids in forensic detail following site visits during 2010, advised decision-makers not to back Qatar citing mainly the summer heat.

Blatter said last month it had been "a mistake" to award the finals to the country in the summer due to the heat, but later said his quote in French had been mistranslated.

Qatar 2022 addressed the issue of the heat in its statement.

"We developed cooling technology to cope with the climate of the Middle East, technology that would prove enormously valuable for nations in similar climates around the world," it said.

Organizers also said they had introduced better welfare standards for workers involved in constructing the infrastructure to host the event, following separate media reports of poor labour conditions.

"We are already constructing three stadiums and by the end of the year two more will be in development," they said.

"Our country has demonstrated its support, spending more than $23 billion on transport infrastructure projects alone. And to be clear - we will do this as we advance worker welfare within Qatar."